Ex Scranton school director facing federal charges

A former Scranton school director arrested earlier this year on charges related to sexual text messages sent to a teenage boy is now facing federal charges.

A grand jury on Tuesday indicted Mark Kandel, of Blakely, with two counts of online enticement stemming from communication he had with two minors via the internet and cellphone, according to the indictment.

He tried to coerce the minors into sexual activity, according to the indictment.

Kandel is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in downtown Scranton this afternoon.

Further details on the federal charges were not available as all documents in the case, except for the indictment, are under seal.

The federal charges comes just under a month after Lackawanna County authorities arrested Kandel for sending sexually explicit text messages and Facebook messages to an underage boy. An affidavit supporting those charges, which only related to one victim, investigators outlined a pattern that Kandel perpetrated on several teens.

The "scheme" started with texts in which Kandel would tell teen boys that they would look sexually attractive in Calvin Klein underwear.

Kandel would even go so far as to take teenage boys on shopping trips during which he would buy them Calvin Klein underwear and compression shorts.

Investigators believed Kandel considered himself a "life coach" for the teens.

Check back for updates.

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